Synthesis and Characterization of Ce3+-Doped Ni0.5Cd0.5Fe2O4 Nanoparticles by Sol–Gel Auto-Combustion Method

Danyal Ahmad,Khalid Bashir,Fozia Sultana,Nabeel Ahmed,Nasir Mehboob,Abid Zaman,Khaled Althubeiti,Asad Ali,Kashif Ahmed,Muhammad Mushtaq

doi:10.3390/coatings11101156

Abstract

Cerium (Ce)-doped Ni0.5Cd0.5CexFe2−xO4 (0.0 ≤ x ≤ 0.20) was synthesized using the sol–gel auto-combustion method. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis revealed that all the samples retained spinel cubic crystal structure with space group Fd3m at 800 °C. Crystal structure parameters, such as lattice constant, average crystallite size, and X-ray density were estimated from the major XRD (311) peak. Bulk density and porosity were also calculated. The average crystallite size was estimated to be in the range of 20–24 nm. SEM images displayed agglomerated particles with a porous morphology. The dielectric constant (ε′) increased and the dielectric loss tangent (tanδ) decreased with rising Ce concentration. The hysteresis loop (M–H loop) was measured at room temperature using a vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM), which showed a nonlinear decrease in magnetization and coercivity with increasing Ce concentration.

Highlights

Nanocrystalline ferrites have gained popularity in the field of electronic technology due to their outstanding feature of “ferrimagnetism” [1]
X-ray diffraction (XRD) evaluation proved that the substitution of rare earth Ce3+ ion up to 0.2 in nanoparticles did not alter the crystal structure and no second phase appeared
Samples were characterized by XRD, scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), an LCR meter, and vibrating-sample magnetometer (VSM)

Summary

Introduction

Nanocrystalline ferrites have gained popularity in the field of electronic technology due to their outstanding feature of “ferrimagnetism” [1]. As well as their composites, are examples of divalent cations (A) The structure of these ferrites is comparable to that of the naturally occurring mineral MgAl2 O4 known as spinel. These ferrites are semiconducting in nature and are known as ferrospinels or cubic ferrites [3,4]. Spinel ferrites are extensively used in the fabrication of microwave absorbers owing to their high magnetic losses and huge resistivities [10]. These ferrites are used in the frequency range of 3–30 GHz [2]

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